2007 French Film Festival

Wednesday, March 21
7 p.m.        The Intruder
Thursday, March 22
7 p.m.        Look at Me
Friday, March 23
7 p.m.        Mondovino
9:30 p.m.    Caché
Saturday, March 24
7 p.m.        Aaltra
9 p.m.        Mondovino

All films will be shown in Mott Auditorium.

Aaltra (Benoît Delépine, 2004): Two neighbors in the Belgian countryside: Gus, a white-collar worker, and Ben, a farmer, despise one another. One day, in the midst of a fight, an accident with a tractor leaves them both paralyzed, wheelchair-bound, and spiteful. Rather than feeling sorry for themselves, the embittered paraplegics decide to seek revenge against the tractor’s manufacturer, Aaltra. They set out to Finland, directing their frustrations towards people they meet on their way. They steal money, food, and even an electric wheelchair that belongs to an old lady. They abuse people’s compassion towards them but when they at last reach the company’s headquarters, they are in for a big surprise… Captured in sharp black-and-white photography that complements its visual gags, Aaltra undermines conventional attitudes toward the disabled with its dry wit and acerbic, vengeful characters. In this film, the disabled protagonists are simply normal human beings, at times a bit stupid, a bit nasty, and often funny. Actors Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern, who wrote, directed and co-star, show a distinct flair for understated physical comedy and politically incorrect humor.

Caché/Hidden (Michael Haneke, 2005): Georges, the television host of a literary magazine, and his wife Anne are living a perfect life of modern comfort and security. One day, their world is disrupted when they receive a videotape from an anonymous source. On it, they discover that their house had been filmed by a hidden camera. As more tapes arrive wrapped in drawings that are disturbingly violent and personal, the walls of security that Georges and Anne have felt around them begin to crumble. Georges launches his own investigation and secrets from his past are revealed. As a young child, Georges was confronted by his parents’ wishes to adopt Majid, the son of their Algerian farm workers who disappeared in Paris during the police brutality that followed the October 17, 1961 demonstration. Georges made up a lie about Majid who was put into foster care. As this memory resurfaces, Georges is faced with the fact that Majid’s life could have turned out differently if he had stayed with his family. He could have received an education but instead endured a life of poverty. A psychological thriller that masterfully brings the viewer into the story, Caché is as much a searing commentary on France’s bourgeoisie and its colonial heritage as it is about father-son relationships.

The Intruder (Claire Denis, 2004): Louis Trebor, a mysterious loner, lives in an isolated cabin in the woods on the French-Swiss border. An enigmatic figure and an emotionally distant father who seems to prefer the company of his dogs, Louis has little contact with his grown son Sidney. Louis’ contacts seem limited to an affair with a local pharmacist and an unspoken attraction to a beautiful, aloof dog breeder. An ailing heart forces Louis to leave his snow-covered wilderness to retrieve money in a bank vault in Geneva to purchase a new heart on the black market. After recovering from transplant surgery in Asia, Louis discovers he is being shadowed by a mysterious, unnamed Russian woman. He begins a boat voyage south, slowly making his way back to his former home on a remote island near Tahiti. The Intruder is a mysterious and enthralling story about fresh starts and the possibility of escape, a tale of both inner and outer travels. Like all of Claire Denis’ films, it explores the literal and metaphorical borders where natives and intruders intersect, searching for signs of home within and beyond the barriers of countries, cultures, and families.

Look at Me (Agnès Jaoui, 2004): This newest character-rich comedy centers on 20-year-old Lolita, a stocky, dark-haired aspiring singer acutely aware that she doesn’t fit into a world ruled by skinny blondes. Compounding her low self-esteem is her inconsiderate father Etienne, a jaw-droppingly boorish literary celebrity whom she worships and despises. Orbiting in Etienne’s sphere of influence is a retinue of devotees and wannabes, including a voice coach (played by director Agnès Jaoui) who plots on behalf of her struggling novelist husband. Brimming with music, food, and parties, Look At Me paints a vibrant portrait of the Parisian social whirl, but one which doesn’t gloss over the undercurrent of backbiting and backstabbing that flows just beneath the glittering surface. The film ends with a heart-warming country-church recital that affirms the transcendent power of art.

Mondovino (Jonathan Nossiter, 2004): For thousands of years, wine has been an important tradition in many countries. Never has so much pride – and money – been at stake as today. Never have the battle lines been so clearly drawn between the old world and the new, between peasants and millionaires, and between local, artisanal styles of wine production and multinational, mass-produced ones. The ultimate film about wine, Mondovino was filmed over a three-year period in France, Italy, the United States, Argentina and Brazil. Juxtaposing mom-and-pop wine growers with conglomerates, Jonathan Nossiter, a trained sommelier and wine writer, intertwines multiple family dramas – some of which play like soap operas. Through interviews of amateurs, winegrowers, businessmen, and critics, he uncovers the complex tapestry of conflicts, conspiracies, and alliances that stem from the production, distribution, and consumption of wine. Mondovino gives voice to those who create, critique, sell, and distribute wine, offering a surprisingly varied, and sometimes controversial glimpse into something many people enjoy but few people know much about.